Golden Bell

The Shadow Bull fought valiantly against the towering Inferno Lion head, unleashing a barrage of punches, headbutts, shoulder charges, and knee strikes.

Eddie, sharing a sliver of his consciousness with the Shadow Bull, directed her innate combat skills to be more coherent and strategic.

Her relentless assault momentarily disoriented the Inferno Lion head. Unfortunately, without the Giant's Shadow's power boost and being unable to utilize combat skills in sync with Eddie's thoughts, her attacks had limited lethality.

Despite her actual strength far exceeding a typical bronze-level three creature, there was still a significant gap between her and the gold-level six Chimera.

Under the ferocious counterattacks of the Inferno Lion head, the Shadow Bull sustained severe injuries across her body, but remarkably, no blood was shed.

As a life-form partially made of shadow, she was fundamentally different from regular combat beasts. As long as her shadow energy wasn't depleted, she could keep fighting even if her physical form was utterly destroyed.

Eddie was aware that without the Giant's Shadow's power, the Shadow Bull's strength wouldn't suffice to overpower the Inferno Lion head. Yet, there was still a chance - a gamble on triggering the 'Death Gaze' skill.

If activated, it might instantly annihilate the Inferno Lion head.

"Grey Wolf, you coward! If you don't want to be tonight's roasted wolf leg, go bite Chimera's rear and claw at it!" Eddie yelled, infuriated by Grey Wolf's inaction. 

The wolf, sensing Eddie's anger, hurriedly lunged forward, feebly biting at the Chimera's massive front paws. Its efforts were futile, but it still pretended to be proactive.

Though Eddie was annoyed, he couldn't afford to punish Grey Wolf at the moment. His entire focus was on controlling the Shadow Bull, guiding her to avoid fatal blows from the Inferno Lion head.

Without his intervention, the Shadow Bull, relying solely on brute force, would probably have been torn apart within minutes.

After freezing the dragon head, Little Wenli didn't join the fray but closed her eyes, silently gathering spiritual energy. Eddie surmised she was preparing to summon the Grimoire or unleash a powerful skill.

Eddie refrained from disturbing Little Wenli's tranquil meditation, trusting her inherent ability to deliver unexpected wonders.

As he pondered her next move, a crisis erupted. A long, shadowy figure slithered silently towards them, catching Eddie off guard. Before he could react, this serpentine shadow lunged viciously at Little Wenli.

In a desperate instinct, Eddie attempted to unleash his innate formless sword energy to intercept, forgetting his inability to attack in this realm. This lapse cost him precious time to respond effectively.

In that critical moment, Grey Wolf, usually timid and cunning, bravely intercepted the attack. Typically avoiding danger, the wolf fearlessly leaped in front of Little Wenli, only to be swallowed whole by the massive, gaping maw of the shadow.

Eddie realized in horror that this was no ordinary shadow, but a gigantic serpent tail belonging to the Chimera!

This creature was larger than any python or anaconda he had ever seen on Earth, dwarfing Grey Wolf who was now trapped inside its belly.

Unable to intervene directly, Eddie urgently commanded the heavily wounded Shadow Bull to engage, hoping she could at least restrain the colossal serpent. Perhaps Little Wenli could sever it in time to rescue Grey Wolf.

As the Shadow Bull charged, the serpent reacted with lightning speed, coiling around her and squeezing tightly.

The force would have crushed any normal beast, but the Shadow Bull, being a semi-ethereal life form, seemed unaffected by the bone-crushing grip.

From her mouth and nose, she spewed flames, reminiscent of the Bronze Bull's attack patterns. Then, in Eddie's hopeful gaze, her eyes flashed red.

Finally, after accumulating fortunes of luck, the moment Eddie had been waiting for arrived – the activation of the Death Gaze!

Eddie's eyes widened in astonishment as the giant serpent tail of the Chimera, coiled around the Shadow Bull, writhed in agony and collapsed, its body convulsing weakly.

To his surprise, the serpent didn't perish instantly from the Death Gaze. It was severely wounded, teetering on the brink of death, but somehow resisted instant demise.

Eddie wondered if the vast power gap between their levels provided this resistance, or if Golden King Beasts inherently had defenses against such fatal attacks.

Notably, the other two heads of the Chimera, the Frozen Dragon and the Flame Lion, showed no sign of distress from the serpent's suffering.

The White Sheep head remained eerily calm, unsettling Eddie with its serene gaze. The Flame Lion, on the other hand, roared and lunged at the Shadow Bull.

As Eddie puzzled over this, Little Wenli summoned a terrifying creature from her Diamond Grimoire. Amidst a burst of brilliant light, a fearsome Medusa-like figure with a snake-ridden head, a serpentine body, and a bow and golden arrows appeared.

Its first arrow pierced the Flame Lion's left eye, eliciting a roar of pain.

The Flame Lion turned its attack towards the Medusa creature, but the snakes on her head came to life, petrifying the lion's head into stone up to its neck, transforming even the arrow into stone.

Eddie jumped with excitement. "Petrifying Medusa, amazing!" He hadn't expected Little Wenli to have the spiritual power to summon such a powerful being.

The Flame Lion head, previously impervious to the Shadow Bull's relentless attacks, was swiftly petrified by Medusa's gaze.

As Medusa readied her second arrow, aiming at the calm White Sheep head, Eddie braced himself for the impact of her formidable power. The Chimera, a formidable opponent, was now facing a new, unexpected threat.

As Eddie anxiously caught the collapsing Little Wenli, her small face showed a sweet smile despite her exhaustion. After gently setting her down, she fluttered towards the severed giant serpent, skillfully using her frost blades to slice through its body.

After a strenuous search, the Shadow Bull managed to extract the barely alive, acid-covered Grey Wolf from the serpent's belly.

Eddie feigned indifference, but his relief was palpable. Grey Wolf, despite its faults, had proven its loyalty and bravery.

It had not only obeyed Eddie but had also fearlessly intervened to save Little Wenli from the giant serpent - a commendable act for an uncontracted beast.

Suddenly, the White Sheep head, which had been eerily silent, started bleating. Eddie's instincts screamed a warning.

He immediately picked up Little Wenli, preparing for what might come next. The battle-worn Shadow Bull, carrying the feeble Grey Wolf, stood ready beside him.

The White Sheep head released a gentle white light onto the severed snake tail. Astonishingly, not only did the tail regenerate, but it also sprouted two new heads.

The petrified Flame Lion head and the frozen Dragon head were both restored, their injuries miraculously healed.

Eddie was flabbergasted. He had nearly defeated the Chimera, only for it to be fully rejuvenated by a mere glow of light. "How is anyone supposed to defeat such a monstrous creature?" he thought in frustration.

As he cursed the seemingly unfair challenge set by the Tower of Heaven, the Chimera spread its immense wings.

With a powerful gust of wind, it ascended skyward and vanished without a trace, leaving behind a long piece of its snake tail and a small golden item - the bell that had hung around the White Sheep head's neck.

Eddie was perplexed.

Was this the reward for battling the beast, despite not defeating it?

What significance did the golden bell hold?

His mind raced with questions about this mysterious and seemingly valuable item dropped by the formidable Chimera.